Chapter 16 #2
“How bad was it when Uncle Carl showed up at the ranch?”
I swallow, forcing the words past the knot in my throat.
“Pretty bad,” I admit.
Phern’s jaw tightens.
“Did Liam show you the texts?”
I look down, shame creeping up my spine even though I have no reason to feel it.
“No,” I whisper.
Phern curses under her breath. “I wondered. You looked surprised.”
She hesitates again, then pulls out her phone with a sigh, opening the message thread. Without a word, she holds it out to me. I take it, my fingers trembling slightly as I scroll.
The texts slam into me like punches.
Uncle Carl, Sam, Liam, Phern
Now, you three better shape up. I’m the rightful owner of Stonewater and all of the land that comes with it.
I’m tired of being treated like an outsider.
Sam. Phern. What would your daddy and momma think of how you’re treating me?
They’re rolling in their graves knowing a Stone is not welcomed at the home they built.
Sam’s too busy breeding that horse… pardon… “woman” he married.
Phern’s too busy being a know-it-all.
And Liam. My pride and joy.
Wait. Strike that. More like the biggest disappointment in the world.
I’m honestly surprised Sam hasn’t taken control of Stonewater Rodeo Stock since Laim fucks up everything he touches.
And what in the hell is he doing with that fat thing that works for him? He can do so much better.
God knows he’s using her to make himself feel better.
Stop texting us or I swear to god I’ll find you myself and knock some sense into you!
I blink hard, willing the burning in my eyes to go away.
“Wow,” I murmur, my voice hollow. I hand the phone back to Phern, my hands suddenly cold. “No wonder Liam was so quiet after Carl left.”
Phern shoves her phone into her pocket with a snarl.
“I hate that man,” she growls. “I hate him with a goddamn passion. He better hope I don’t see him today.”
I force a shaky breath in, wiping at my face like it’ll erase the lingering ache.
“Why do you think he’s even back in Wyoming?” I ask quietly.
“He needs money. Sent Sam a message directly, asking to borrow a hundred-K.” Her eyes meet mine, hard and knowing. “I’m guessing he asked Liam, too.”
I nod numbly, the pieces clicking into place. Carl didn’t just come to insult Liam. He came to bleed him dry. And worse? He tried to make Liam believe he didn’t deserve better. Didn’t deserve me. Didn’t deserve this life he fought so hard to build.
And Liam didn’t feel the need to mention it to me.
Phern says, “I don’t like how Liam looked. It reminded me of when Aunt Beth finally got enough of Carl’s shit and left him. Liam felt like it was his fault and did everything he could to get them back together.”
That breaks my heart, but it doesn’t surprise me. Liam feels things on a deep level, which is why I’m getting angry at his father. I square my shoulders, a cold, steady fire lighting in my chest.
No more.
I’m done standing by while people try to make Liam doubt everything good about himself. He stood up for me. Now it’s my turn.
Phern crosses her arms, studying me.
“I don’t know what’s going through your mind, but I like the look on your face.”
I scan the crowd, heart hammering. I don’t see Liam. But I see Teddy, laughing and holding court near the judging tents.
“I’ll catch you later, Phern,” I say, already moving.
Her laughter follows me as I weave through the throng of people, adrenaline buzzing under my skin like live wire.
Teddy’s smile widens when he spots me.
“There’s the girl with the prettiest smile in Wyoming,” he says, tipping his hat.
“Hi, Teddy.” I smile briefly, but my mind is elsewhere. “Have you seen Liam?”
Teddy nods, jerking his thumb toward a row of white tents at the edge of the fairgrounds.
“We were chatting. Then his old man came slithering up.” He grimaces. “Never did like that man. Liam pulled him aside to talk, and that’s the last I saw.”
“Can you point me in their direction?”
He does, and as I start to leave, he calls after me.
“Don’t forget to try my special BBQ and vote for me!”
“I will,” I promise with a distracted wave, already threading through the crowd toward the tents.
I hear them before I see them.
Carl’s voice. “You think I don’t know what’s happening here, boy? That woman is just using you.”
My feet slow and my breath catches.
Liam’s voice comes next. “No, she’s not.”
But Carl plows on, relentless.
“She is. Why else would she stick around this ranch for so long? A woman with her skills… she could’ve moved up years ago. Gotten herself a better man. More money. More options. But she didn’t.” His voice drips poison. “Why haven’t you questioned that, son?”
There’s a heavy, awful silence and it feels like a fist around my heart.
Because it’s true. I could have left I had offers. Opportunities. But I stayed because of him. Because there was never anyone else for me.
I inch closer, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it might break my ribs. Just as I’m about to round the corner, Carl keeps going.
“Son,” he says, his voice syrupy, fake concern oozing from every word. “I’m not saying this to hurt you. I’m trying to prevent you from making the same mistakes I did.” A pause. Then he asks, “You screwing her?”
Liam makes a low, dangerous sound deep in his throat, but Carl doesn’t stop.
“Easy now,” Carl says smoothly. “It’s a simple question. And you just gave me the answer.”
Another pause that might as well be a dagger sliding right between my ribs.
“I hope you’ve been smart, boy,” Carl says coldly. “Because women like that? They’ll get pregnant just to trap you.”
The air rushes out of my lungs in a ragged, silent sob. I stumble back a step, pressing my hand against my mouth. Surely Liam doesn’t believe that. Surely he knows me better.
Carl’s voice twists the knife one last time.
“That’s what your momma did to me,” he says. “And it ruined my life. Hers too, if we’re being honest.”
I stand there, frozen. Devastated. Torn between running and fighting.
Because if Liam doubts me…
If he believes even a sliver of what Carl says…
It might shatter everything we've built. Everything I thought we were becoming.
I square my shoulders. Wipe my tears away with a shaking hand. And walk straight into the tent.
Liam and Carl both turn at the same time. Carl's face twists into a smug, satisfied smirk. Liam’s expression—God. Liam looks torn. Like part of him wants to run to me and part of him is terrified of what that would mean.
I stop a few feet away, every cell in my body screaming.
“I stayed,” I say, my voice low and raw. “Because I loved you.”
Carl scoffs under his breath, but I don’t look at him. I can’t. I only have eyes for Liam.
“I loved you before you ever touched me,” I whisper. “Loved you when you didn’t even know you needed someone.”
Tears burn my throat, but I swallow them down.
“I didn’t stay because I wanted something from you,” I say, shaking my head. “I stayed because you were home to me.”
For a long moment, he just stares at me.
Silent. Frozen. And the silence says everything.
Because if he believed me, he would have already moved.
But he hasn’t. And I realize it’s not that Liam believes Carl.
It’s that he’s too scared not to. Too scared that loving me is just setting himself up to lose again.
Slowly, like my heart is breaking bone by bone, I take a step back. And another. Until there’s a gulf between us that feels impossible to cross.
Carl watches, victorious.
Liam still doesn’t move.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” I say, my voice breaking.
I turn.
Walk away.
And Liam…
Liam Stone lets me go.